Footnote to the preceding, Life Goes On Dept.

Again from the Iraqi Press Monitor for May 13, this time quoting the London-based Asharq al-Awsat:

The Iraqi Olympic football team has qualified for the finals of the Olympic Games in Athens from 13-29 August, after beating the Saudi team 3-1 in Jordan. Iraq leads the group by getting 9 points against 8 points for Kuwait and 6 points for Saudi Arabia.

It may seem silly, but it just gives me a little hope - my magic word - that in the midst of all the pain and destruction going on in Iraq there are still people thinking about sports and the Olympics. It's a reminder that people are still living their lives, going to market, cooking their meals, playing with their children, dreaming of the future; that even as the blood flows, so does life.